Saudi Gazette report

TAIF — A mass brawl broke out after Al-Nassr star Anderson Talisca attempted to plant a flag in the pitch following his club’s win over Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal in the Arab Champions Cup final at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Taif on Saturday.

The Brazilian made an effort to position the flagpole at the center spot, but his action was promptly interrupted by Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, who attempted to forcefully take it away. This led to a confrontation between the two, as Al-Bulaihi aimed to protect his team’s reputation, resulting in a swarm of players and staff members from both teams converging around the midfield.

In the final match, Cristiano Ronaldo guided nine-man Al-Nassr to their first ever Arab Club Champions Cup title after scoring twice in a 2-1 extra-time win. The Portugal talisman equalized before bagging an extra-time decider.

Immediately after the full-time whistle, Ronaldo’s team-mate Talisca stormed the field with a jumbo-sized flag sporting the club’s yellow-and-blue colors. This unfortunate scene marred what was supposed to be a joyous culmination of the Arab Champions Club Football.

Talisca’s actions appear to have been motivated by simmering tensions that erupted from an identical incident between the two teams almost two years ago. Al-Hilal defeated Al-Nassr 2-1 in the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Champions League held at Al-Nassr’s home ground of Mrsool Park in Riyadh in 2021. After Al-Hilal’s victory, Al-Bulaihi planted a flag with his club’s colours in the centre of the pitch.

The Arab Club tournament is played by top Arab clubs in the region and included teams from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Ronaldo failed to land a trophy last season after his switch over to Al-Nassr, who finished runners-up in the Saudi Pro League, but the 38-year-old scored six times in the Arab Cup tournament to finish as its top scorer en route to the title.